The Seventh Year
by YukiKyo
Summary: Harry, Ron and Hermione go back for their seventh year. As they go through their last year of Hogwarts together, hearts will be tested. For when you're seventeen the person you're with may not alway be who you are with for the rest of your life. Ginny has always been a firey young girl, and her temper starts to wear on Harry. Especially when Harry and Hermione start to grow closer.
1. Train Ride

Harry Potter ran a hand through his scruffy black hair. Even though he had accomplished many things in his seventeen years of existence, including defeating the most powerful and dark wizard of all time, he was still unable to tame his hair. It seemed to want to stay in the permanent bed head look to matter how many times he tried to comb it.

A sigh escaped his lips as he pulled on his robes as they were nearing the school. Harry was happy that for the first time in his life his school year wouldn't be plagued with perilous adventure's and the danger of having to defeat Lord Voldemort.

Sitting down next to Ginny he gave her a warm smile. He was beyond excited to be able to spend the year with her, a normal school year where nothing crazy would happen. They could spend time in Hogsmeade together, as well as sit by the lake when it was warm out. Quidditch was another thing he was looking forward too, especially when they had a solid team with the potential to win the House Cup.

"Ron would you leave it be!" Harry heard Ginny shout, a frown creasing his brow, before rolling his eyes slightly. He feared that Ron and Ginny would always argue over the stupidest things, and this time was probably one of those times.

"What's wrong this time?" Harry asked, not really caring about what his girlfriend and best friend were arguing about. Especially because Ginny's temper was starting to wear on him. She had always been a passionate young woman, but the squabbles between the two of them were starting to take its toll.

Ginny huffed, an exaggerated sigh escaped her lips. "It's nothing...Ronald seems to think some of the classes I want to take are pointless. Like Muggle Studies."

"Yeah, I think it's a bloody waste of time. Why would you want to learn about Muggles?" Ron asked, quite annoyed at having this conversation. He was always embarrassed when his dad brought things back from the Muggle world and tried to enchant them. Or when he tried to talk to other wizards about what the Muggle objects did. It was enough to make Ron's skin crawl whenever his father brought it up.

"Besides, you know how Dad gets whenever something from the Muggle world is around." Ginny agreed with him, but was still interested in Muggle Studies. She found their world fascinating, how they lived from day to day without magic was very interesting for Ginny, especially because Harry came from that world.

Harry couldn't help but roll his eye's the pointless banter between the two. "Ron...leave her be, she can take whatever classes she wants to." He was probably asking for trouble for taking the side of his girlfriend over his best mate, but at this point he was to tired to care. He hadn't slept well the night before, having been too excited to start his final year at Hogwarts to get much sleep. He was taking Potions with Slughorn, Defense Against the Dark Arts with a new professor, Charms with Flitwick, and a few other classes that seemed interesting.

He hadn't needed to go back for seventh year, Kingsley Shacklebolt the new Minister of Magic had given him the go ahead to become an Auror but, Harry had wanted to have a normal year at Hogwarts. He wanted to go to classes without having to look over his shoulder, fearing for his life, that Lord Voldemort would come to kill him.

"Ronald leave Ginny alone, Muggles studies is fascinating. I'm taking it this year too." Hermione chimed in, much to Rons dislike. It was so like Hermione to put her two cents in, which wasn't helping Rons temper.

"Of course you would." Ron muttered, shaking his head. "I'm going to change into my robes." He said as Hermione looked furious at what Ron had mumbled under his breath. She had heard it of course, and went red with anger. Ron was never very understand about Hermione's love of the Muggle world and its technology, for he always associated it with the fact that his father was so crazy about it, which embarrassed Ron.

Harry gave both Ginny and Hermione a sympathetic smile, wishing Ron could be more accepting of the fact that both his girlfriend and sister wanted to take a Muggle studies class.

It seemed like the ride to Hogwarts took forever, especially since there was a lot of tension in the train car. Hopefully once everyone had stuffed their faces at the feast, and had a goods night sleep everything would blow over.

It was while they were filing into the Great Hall that Harry saw a flash of pale blond hair out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head and his eyes went wide. Standing a few feet away from him with some other Slytherin classmates with Draco Malfoy. Harry Potter had had no idea that Draco would be coming back for his final year. The Malfoy's had pretty much gone into hiding after the War, no one had had heard much of them since the end of the war. They led a quiet life which was just fine with Harry and the rest of the wizarding world. He assumed that Lucius had managed to get an unimportant job in the Ministry, and the Draco would be in a similar position. It had never occurred to Harry that the younger Malfoy would ever go back to school.

Harry poked both Ron and Hermione to get them to look over at Draco standing amongst his Slytherin friends. "Blimey, wouldn't have expected to see him here." Ron said quietly, as Hermione just glared at the blond with great distaste.

"I don't want to deal with his snarkiness right now." Harry said, ushering his friends to the Gryffindor table. "Let's just eat." The Boy Who Lived said, trying to get in a better mood. He had been eagerly awaiting the Start of Term feast, where he would be able to eat until he burst before going off to the Common Room to enjoy catching up with his friends.

Harry was excited to see that everyone from his class had come back for their last year. He was unable to stop a large grin that appeared on his face as he watched Neville Longbottom nearly fall over when he sat at the bench near him.

For once this would be a normal year and all Harry would have to worry about was making sure Ron and Ginny didn't argue too much.


	2. Potions

Authors Note: Thank you all so much for the reviews, views, favorites and follows! I'm really excited to write this story, and hope everyone enjoys it!

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It was a quiet breakfast in the Great Hall the next morning. Tempers had cooled, and everyone was looking over their classes for the first term. Harry was happy with classes he had, and couldn't wait to start the school year, he was even looking forward to doing homework.

Their first class of the day was Potions, which they had with Ravenclaw. Harry was surprised that they didn't have Potions with Slytherin, for it seemed like they always had been paired with Slytherins when it came to Potions, especially when Snape was teaching it. The young raven haired boy couldn't help it if Snape had done that on purpose knowing that Harry Potter was in Gryffindor.

Harry Potter actually breathed a sigh of relief as he entered the Potions dungeon, a smiling Slughorn greeting him. Since Harry, Ron and Hermione were now in the same year as Ginny, it made things a lot more enjoyable. He could sit with his girlfriend for potions, as well as his two best friends. He couldn't have been happier.

"Welcome everyone to another wonderful year at Hogwarts! Although I am sorry that this will be our last year together." Slughorn said, he seemed genuinely sad to see his Seventh year students leave. He was losing a lot of his Slug Club members after all.

Once everyone had gotten settled into their seats, Slughorn started the class. "Let's start off with something easy since it's the first day of classes. I'd like you all to make a Cough Potion." The aging man explained, stating that his reasoning behind such a simple potion was that since it was the start of the term, and in a sense the changing of the seasons he figured many students would be getting sick. "What better way to keep the Infirmary uncluttered then with a Cough Potion." Slughorn said enthusiastically. "But we can't make this too easy now, I'd like Gryffindors to pair with Ravenclaws." He said, a glint in his eye.

Everyone couldn't help but groan slightly at having to be partnered with someone from a different house. It wasn't often that Professors asked the Houses to mingle, but Harry figured that since the war was over, there was no harm in trying to improve the relations between the houses.

The potion wasn't as simple as it seemed. Like with any potion if you got the ingredients wrong you wouldn't correctly have the potion, but with the Cough Potion, if you messed up you'd be coughing for the rest of the day, and if left untreated could turn into a serious illness.

"Let's get to work!" The Potions Master said, as the students slowly started to pair up. Harry was not happy about having to work with the Ravenclaws. He had nothing against them personally, although sometimes they gave off an air of superiority.

"Hello Harry." A light, airy sounding voice got his attention. The Boy Who Lived knew whose voice that was and a smile appeared on his face. He hadn't seem Luna Lovegood the other night at the feast, but he was happy to see that she was back at school, as well as that she was his partner.

He caught Ginny giving him a longing look, which he returned. As much as he wished he could be partners with Ginny, Luna was a good second choice, especially for a Ravenclaw. It was then he noticed that a Ravenclaw with shoulder-length black hair had come over to Ginny. Harry recognized him as Michael Corner, whom Ginny had gone out with a few years ago. A flash of jealousy shot through Harry at the sight of the young man. He was handsome, definitely would have no trouble getting a girlfriend, but why he had to pick Ginny to be his partner baffled Harry.

Throughout the Potions lesson Harry couldn't help but glance over at Ginny and Michael. She seemed to be giggling quite a bit, the Ravenclaw smiling warmly at her. A frown creased his forehead, his thoughts on Ginny and her potions partner.

"Harry, careful." Ginny said, her voice never raising in alarm, but it brought Harry out of his thoughts. "You almost added too many Boom Berries." Luna told him, giving Harry a slight smile.

"Oh..Sorry..I was...distracted." Harry said, glancing back at Ginny and Michael. He didn't want to mess up the potion, so he did his best to concentrate on completing it. It was hard, his thoughts frequently strayed, but Luna managed to rein him in and their potion managed to come out perfectly.

"Good job me boy!" Slughorn said excitedly, giving Harry a wink. The raven haired young boy could barely smile at the compliment. His thoughts were on Ginny and Michael, whom were also just finishing up their potion. Harry's girlfriend couldn't stop giggling at something the Ravenclaw had said, and that made Harry's blood boil. He didn't like that Ginny was so friendly with her ex.

"Ginny, we have to get to our next class." Harry said through gritted teeth, attempting to grab his girlfriend's hand and pull her away from the black haired boy. Ginny frowned at him, jerking her arm away. "Harry, it's fine, I'll meet you there. I want to talk to Michael about the homework." She said, before leaving with the Ravenclaw boy.

Harry frowned, he hadn't even known there had been homework. He looked to Luna for help, and she explained to him that they had to write an essay with their partner on the effects of a healing potion of their choice. Harry nodded absently, before leaving his Ravenclaw friend to head to class alone.

The day had started off so well, and ended with Harry in a bad mood. He would have to talk to Ginny later that night in the common room to tell her how he didn't like her spending so much time with Michael, even if it was for a homework assignment.

The next class they had was Herbology with Slytherin, something Harry wasn't looking forward to. The more he thought of it the angrier he got with how rotten the day was getting. By the time he got to the Herbology greenhouse, he was seething, ready to snap at anyone who looked at him.


	3. Herbology and the Hate Potion

A/N: Thank you for all of the favorites, follows and reviews! It means a lot to me! I hope you all enjoy this next chapter.

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Both Hermione and Ginny were in one of their Muggle classes, which left Harry and Ron alone in Herbology with the Slytherin, with Draco Malfoy. A long drawn out sigh escaped Harry's lips as he entered the greenhouse, giving Ron an eye roll when he saw the Slytherins were already there.

_As if I weren't already miffed, now I have to deal with Malfoy._ Harry thought to himself. While Harry and Ron got settled, Professor Flitwick was flitting about the greenhouse, setting out various herbs, plants and roots for the students. Briefly the young boy wondered what they were going to be making.

"Welcome!" The Herbology Professor said with a smile on her face. She was clearly excited for today's lesson, but as she started to explain what they would be doing in todays class, Harry felt his stomach drop.

Once again they would be working with another house, much to Harry and Rons horror. Harry looked over to Ron and saw that his face was quite pale. There was nothing worse then having to work with Slytherins, especially Draco and his group of "friends."

Harry took a quick glance at the Slytherin table and saw that Draco looked quite forlorn. Gone was the usual cockyness that always seemed to radiate from him. The person across the greenhouse was a shell of his former self. Which was to be expected considering that for as far as Harry knew, after the war the Malfoys had gone into hiding, Mr. Malfoy having lost his prestigious position at the Ministry. Unbenounced to Harry, Lucius Malfoy was working for the family business Malfoy Apothecary. He was sure that Hermione would know what had happened to the family, he would have to ask her the next time he saw her.

Despite the fact that Malfoy looked like someone had just kicked his puppy, he still expected the Slytherin to act just as rude to Harry as ever.

"We want to foster a positive relationship between all the houses." Sprout explained, trying to rally a better response than the groans she had received for pairing Slytherin's with Gryffindor's. Harry expected to have to find his own partner for whatever they would be making.

"We thought it would be best to pair up the students in a few of their classes so everyone could get to know one another better. And I will be picking the partners for this potion." The Professor explained, which prompted Harry to pray that he wouldn't get stuck with Malfoy. She went about pairing Slytherins with Gryffindor, and when Harry's name was called he couldn't help but feel dread in the pit of his stomach, Malfoy still hadn't been given a partner.

"Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy." Sprout called out, which prompted Malfoy to flash a small smirk at his remaining friends. It seemed that despite all that had happened Malfoy still enjoyed tormenting Harry.

The raven haired young man could feel his heartbeat accelerate as Draco Malfoy came over to join Harry at his table. Ron had been paired with a Slytherin whose name Harry didn't know, and he looked at his best friend, giving Harry a wide eyed stare. Ron was just as shocked as Harry to find that Draco had been paired with him.

_Kill me now._ Harry thought, suppressing a groan. "Well Potter, it looks like we'll be working together." Draco drawled, his old personality starting to come back to life. It looked like he just needed to be near Harry to become his old self again. Harry had wished he had chosen to say the solemn, sad young man he had been a few minutes ago.

"Today you will be making a Hate Potion. It is a potion that shows the taker's worst traits and habits." Sprout explained. Harry wasn't sure how he felt about the potion. The Herbology Professor explained that they would be both taking the potion, one at a time. At least Harry would be able to learn what Draco's worst traits and habits were. But Draco would also learn what Harry's worst traits and habits were. He slightly shuddered at the thought of Draco knowing how stubborn Harry could be, as well as how impulsive the Boy Who Lived could be. Harry often let his emotions get the best of him, and frequently acted before thinking.

A sigh escaped his lips as he turned to speak to Malfoy. "Looks like it." He said, trying to keep his voice calm. Draco merely chuckled at Harry's words, and opened his textbook to find the Hate Potion. Harry did the same, scanning the list of ingredients needed. It didn't look too hard.

"I'll prepare the first half of ingredients, you do the second half." Malfoy commanded. Harry didn't have a problem with that, but he fact that Malfoy had ordered him to do it annoyed him to no end. "Sure.." Harry said through gritted teeth. He fixed the ingredients to the recipes instructions, putting them in his cauldron at the right time.

Harry couldn't help but glance at Draco to make sure he didn't mess up on his half of the ingredients. If they weren't done correctly it would mess up the whole potion, which could be disastrous. "You're supposed to grind those up, not cut them." Harry pointed out, trying to keep his voice even. Draco glared at him, and was about to open his mouth to speak when his eye's looked down at the book. He was indeed supposed to grind up the ingredient he had on the table. "Oh...You're right." Draco said, his laced with disappointment. He had wanted to prove the great Harry Potter wrong, but he had failed. The raven haired young man had been right. With this blow to his ego, Draco finished preparing the ingredients in silence, a shroud of forlornness once again surrounding him.

It didn't take too long for the potion to finish brewing, as Harry had bought one of the best cauldrons on the market, that insured that it could brew potions quicker than any other cauldron.

"After you Malfoy.." Harry said, giving the blond haired young man a smirk. Draco glared at him, grimacing before taking a goblet and dipping it into the brew. He gulped the nasty smelling potion in one go, face screwing up at how gross it tasted.

Harry watched him for a moment, wondering when the potion would take effect. He thought it best to ask Malfoy about his worst traits, as he wasn't sure if the Slytherin would start spilling his guts about his worst traits. "What are your worst traits?" Harry asked, doing his best to keep his voice calm, devoid of the fact that he was actually really happy to know what Draco's worst habits and personality traits were.

Draco swallowed, trying to fight the effects of the potion, but it was useless. He found himself ready to tell Harry Potter all of his worst characteristics. "I'm quite selfish." He started, giving Harry a whole backstory about how being an only child to a prominent and wealthy pureblood family as well as the fact that he had been given anything he ever asked for. There had only been a few instances when his parents hadn't given him what he had asked for, and he had grown bitter over it for a while before sulking around the manor for a while more before finally getting over it. "I need to have everything my way." Draco explained. If Malfoy had been a Muggle the phrase 'My way or the highway' would have been used quite often. "And I will do whatever it takes to achieve that." Draco said, wondering if he would spew any more of his negative traits to someone one whom he had once considered his arch enemy and rival. "I am quite proud, valuing family and blood over anything else. The Malfoy's were...are, a great, and powerful family, and I am proud to be one. I think that those that have Muggle blood in them are beneath me and should not be treated as equals. Muggles are inferior to us in every way and should be treated like second class citizens." Malfoy wanted to stop, praying that this was the last thing he would tell Harry.

Harry was speechless, although it wasn't anything shocking, it was still very odd hearing Malfoy admit his faults outloud. After a few minutes of silence the boys had concluded that the potion had worn off on Draco, which was a relief to the Slytherin.

Without saying anything Harry took his own goblet and filled his cup with the potion. _Here goes. _Harry took a big swallow of the drink, grimacing at the foul taste of potion. He blinked a few times, feeling words start to form on the tip of his tongue.

"I'm very stubborn." Harry explained, telling Draco about all the times where he wouldn't listen to others advice, especially from his friends. Hermione had always warned him not to do one thing or another, or that he should work on his homework. But he never listened to her, especially in their earlier Hogwarts years when Hermione tried to deter Harry from breaking curfew. "I am also quite impulsive, frequently acting before I think. And it has gotten me into some tough spots." Harry told him, going into detail about the various times he had chosen to think before acting.

Harry's face had paled once he had finished speaking. He had told Draco his biggest flaws, and he felt horrible about it. But for once there wasn't a smirk, or scheming glint in the Slytherin's eye. Infact Draco Malfoy looked quite somber, he too not saying a word as the rest of the class finished spilling their guts to each other. The two former enemies cleaned up their work station before settling back to their respective sides so they could end the class and head to lunch.

"That was bloody horrible." Ron said, shaking his head as they left the greenhouses and headed back into the castle. "Made me lose my appetite." Ron said with a groan, which actually caused Harry to crack a small smile.

"I'm sure you'll be ok once you see all the food." Harry said, patting his friend on the back. "And it wasn't that bad for me." He admitted, surprised at the words that had come out of his mouth. It could have been worse, and for that Harry was grateful it hadn't been a strong potion. He couldn't help but mull over the traits of Draco, he actually pitied the boy for becoming a spoiled brat. He wondered what it would have been like if Draco had been raised in a more tolerant home. Harry was glad to see that Draco had at least matured a bit since the last time they had been in school together. He almost seemed like a different person.


End file.
